Data storage subsystems include a plurality of different types of data storage devices for storing data for host processors. Each type of data storage device has different storage attributes that are suitable for storing data having certain data attributes. Data storage management systems route the data from the host processors to selected data storage devices. The data storage devices for storing the data are selected as a function of the data attributes. Typically, data storage management systems make available to the host processors the actual data storage devices which are to store the data. That is, the data is directly routed from the host processors to the selected data storage device.
A problem with this arrangement is that a selected data storage device may be unavailable at the time a host processor needs to access the selected data storage device or the data storage subsystem may not even have the selected data storage device. Another problem with this arrangement is that none of the data storage devices in the data storage subsystem may have the storage attributes suitable for storing the data.